Design & Reason Blog

You are… where?

2011-09-09T12:09:00.001-04:00

Every designer who has worked with wayfinding (be it on a handheld device or in a hospital) knows: one of the most fundamental (and, arguably, the most important) element of a directory is the “You are here” indicator and yesterday, I noticed that (at Oxmoor Mall) all of the directories are missing this very element! Please excuse the image quality but try and guess where I was on this map like

Something personal that I probably shouldn't share on social-networking.

2011-07-05T21:27:00.014-04:00

Just relax. Calm down and let the emotion from the Casey Anthony Trial wear off for a moment. Breathe-in, breathe-out. Inhale, exhale. Now let's talk logic instead of emotion. In the Black community, when we see these headlines plastered all over our televisions, newspapers, et cetera -- it makes an incredible impact. Personally, while my six-year-old niece was missing because she'd been

(video) 'i3D' Demo App Shows Off Head-Tracking 3D on iOS Devices

2011-05-27T12:49:00.000-04:00

reDesign And Reason

2011-05-19T19:39:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't already seen it in the last couple of days, the new portfolio web site (done in HTML5) is now online; check it out: DesignAndReason.com Tweet

Guest Entry: FlyPaper Blog

2011-05-04T16:01:00.001-04:00

I was fortunate enough to be a Guest Blogger for FlyPaper reviewing Fly Union's new album titled "The Greater Than Club." Here's an excerpt: Only a couple of years ago, I’d never heard of Fly Union and, even today, most of their music is new to me. Changes to the group’s roster made many people wonder if their music would be as appealing and, unsurprisingly, they’ve proved they haven’t lost

(image) The Anatomy of a Perfect Landing Page.

2011-04-13T14:14:00.000-04:00

I don't know if I would call this a "perfect" landing page but lots of good points are made here. Tweet

(image) The History of Web Browsers

2011-04-07T13:13:00.000-04:00

I still don't understand why Google Chrome isn't more popular. Tweet

(video) Gmail Motion is very possible.

2011-04-05T13:58:00.000-04:00

Evan A. Suma, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Southern California's (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies, immediately set to work in demonstrating that the technology to run such a system already exists. (via gizmag) Tweet

Lose the mouse and keyboard. Now you can control Gmail with your body with new Gmail Motion!

2011-04-01T12:57:00.004-04:00

I imagine Google is a really fun place to work. If you haven't already, search Google for 'kittens' on your Android or iPhone. or, on the web, search for 'Helvetica' (although I think they went way, way too far with that one). but this one from Google Voice is funny: Introducing Voice-alyzer. Tweet

Multitouch Microscope (iPad on Steroids)

2011-03-28T08:55:00.000-04:00

yes, I have decided to start using Blogger again. Tweet

Augmented Google Earth Gets Real-Time People, Cars, Clouds

2009-09-28T14:50:00.003-04:00

This is an interesting utilization of technology although I'm not 100% convinced on the benefits of displaying even more detailed visual information–which will require more RAM–on Google Earth, a program that already requires lots of RAM to run smoothly.

holograms providing tactile feedback

2009-08-10T12:43:00.008-04:00

I just came across the video above via a eNewsletter from Gizmag. to summarize: the idea of holograms providing tactile feedback was presented in 2009 SIGGRAPH by students from the University of Tokyo.below are a couple excerpts from a presentation for a class I took at OSU. the objective of the course was to submit design ideas which sought to improve the quality of one's living room experience

the new look of Sean John

2009-08-06T22:10:00.005-04:00

although Sean John's new logo is now legible (compared to the previous 'signature' logo) I'm not quite sure how it directly reflects the style of most of the clothing shown in the video above. yes, I understand the concept: futuristic (yeah, yeah, who DOESN'T claim to be futuristic these days?) however the multiple designs using acid washed denim don't seem to echo the clean-cut logo. although I

Happy Nelson Mandela Day

2009-07-18T10:42:00.002-04:00

"Obama buttons! $5!" ("trek to Washington")

2009-02-05T05:19:00.004-05:00

I noticed this young Brother in Potomac Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC. I had to buy a button. this should inspire many of those who stand on corners with cardboard signs begging for money as if they can't work... this is America."Obama Hats!""trek to Washington" is a documentary depicting many of Matthew Stanford's experiences during the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies.

just imagine...

2009-02-05T04:24:00.003-05:00

Google has used its wit to outsmart the world once again. Google Latitude (being released today) enables users to locate their friends and vice versa via their location on Google Maps Mobile. This is such a dumb idea.of course, I don't mean dumb in the sense that it should not have been done, but dumb in the sense that someone should have already released this by now as it is not a result of some

made you look

2008-10-29T14:49:00.003-04:00

on my way back from a meeting this morning, I noticed one of those bench signs that said (in big bold yellow letters), "SEE YOU LOOKED! BENCH ADVERTISING DOES WORK!"I sincerely hope no one is fooled by this. we all know that there's a huge difference between merely getting someone's attention and clearly articulating a message, don't we?I remember riding in the car once when I was very young -- I

you have got to be kidding me.

2008-10-28T05:56:00.003-04:00

how can you do this to me, Google? I stuck by your side and purchsed the G1 even when your stock fell to half of what it was a year ago, then you turn around and release Google Earth on the iPhone but not the G1? (sigh) maybe it's coming soon, I guess I shouldn't be so disappointed.

T-Mobile's G1 with Google Android

2008-10-23T07:31:00.016-04:00

T-Mobile's G1 was released earlier this week. This is the first product I've ever purchased the first day it was released; I'm not much of an early adopter (1st runner-up is my last phone, the T-Mobile MDA, which I purchased only a week after it was released).When I first learned of Google Android, an open-sourced operating system for handheld devices, I was very excited but at the same time a

Obama's iPhone app organizes contacts by battleground states.

2008-10-03T15:58:00.002-04:00

I don't have time to write about this, but it really reinforces what I wrote about Obama's campaign before.read the USAToday.com article

mother nature on pms

2008-09-16T20:41:00.003-04:00

can you hear me now? good.it feels as though much of my time as a graduate student has been spent making the case for design as it pertains to technology in people's lives and its usefulness. everywhere I turn I see these tech-nos who despise the idea of technology assisting our lives (either that or they're just too cheap/broke to afford it).whatever.much of columbus' electricity was out for the

metrics: the boring part

2008-04-28T22:19:00.015-04:00

In this blog I will share with you a way to gauge the effectiveness of advertising. For those of you who have never utilized Facebook's advertising, it will provide some behind-the-scenes insight as to what tools you are given as an advertiser.These examples are very small but are indicative of other ad campaigns I am currently running.CHARTS.Many people cringe at the thought. They are the

its always the little things

2008-04-26T22:27:00.011-04:00

being the full-fledged nerd that I am (eg: one morning not too long ago, I got excited when I tied a windsor knot correctly on the first try. it was then that I began to examine my social disposition), I find joy in some of the strangest things; things regular, non-geek people would be completely indifferent to.since I've decided my thesis would be more effective if presented in an interactive

mtstanford.com

2008-04-14T08:27:00.004-04:00

A shorter, easier to remember domain name: MTStanford.com is now live. Its not much of an advance, as it merely redirects to DesignAndReason.com, but its much easier to tell someone "MTStanford Dot Com" rather than having to repeat it multiple times and wait while the not-so-tech-savvy try typing the name correctly ("okay... 'Design And Reason Dot Com' Let's see... D [click] E [click] S [click] I

Zeemote wireless controller for mobile phones

2008-04-09T09:56:00.003-04:00

April 9, 2008The US$38 billion video gaming market thrives due to innovative input devices and one of the most interesting new additions is the Zeemote JS1 - a wireless controller that enables what the developers claim is near-console game play on mobile phones. Created by the team that developed the first force feedback joystick for PC gaming, the Zeemote controller fell into the hands of Dave